John W. Lowe

John Williamson Lowe (1809-10 September 1861) was a US Army colonel who commanded the Union's 12th Ohio Infantry during the American Civil War. He was killed at the Battle of Carnifex Ferry in 1861.

Biography
John Williamson Lowe was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1809, and, when he was orphaned at hte age of 12, he became the primary breadwinner for his family. In 1833, he settled in Batavia, Clermont County, Ohio, and he worked as a painter before becoming a lawyer in 1836. During the Mexican-American War, he was persuaded by Ulysses S. Grant to join the US Army volunteers, and he resumed his law practice after the war. In 1853, he served as Mayor of Batavia, and, in 1855, he moved to Dayton. When the American Civil War broke out, Lowe was elected colonel of the 12th Ohio Infantry, and he was accused of cowardice at the Battle of Scary Creek in July 1861. On 10 September 1861, he was killed with a shot to the forehead while leading a charge at the Battle of Carnifex Ferry, the first Ohio field officer killed in the war; his son believed that he had acted rashly in order to disprove any rumors of cowardice.